


What It Takes

by Monkee98



Category: 19天 - Old先 | 19 Days - Old Xian
Genre: He Tian and Jian Yi are freinds, M/M, Mafia AU, Mo Guan Shan and Zhan Zheng Xi are freinds, Mo has a restaurant, Not Canon Compliant, also a bit of restaurant au, and i want to write the whole fic in the restaurant but i cant, he tian as a bodyguard, jian yi as mafia son, torture-not to the main characters (as of yet), zhan is a waiter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-10-29 10:07:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10851768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monkee98/pseuds/Monkee98
Summary: Jian Yi is the son of a mafia leader and has been raised to do the dirty work. He Tian is his bodyguard and only friend until they happen upon a little restaurant where they meet two people that immediately catch their interest. But while they try to get closer to them Jian Yi's father is starting trouble underground, Jian Yi and He Tian are having none of it.





	1. Chapter 1

A slender young man wearing a slightly rumpled fitted suit was seen sulking down the street, his companion had a bulkier build and was wearing the same. Both were tall and handsome, but the more muscular one was taller than the other and had black hair, while the other was platinum blond. 

“I am starving, let’s get something to eat” the sulking blond whined. 

“You know, considering what you do, it really amazes me how quickly you regain your appetite” the dark haired man sighed, recalling the unpleasant task his companion just completed before they left. 

“As if you don't do this kind of stuff too. You're no saint either He Tian ” he replied defensively, hunching his shoulders. 

“I don’t do that kind of stuff, my job is to watch after you Jian Yi. Sure I have to pull a few moves to do that, but at least they can fight back” He Tian shrugged as he mumbled the last bit, not wanting to upset the blond too much, he knew that if he had a choice he would not be doing what he is. As they were walking he spotted a quaint looking little restaurant and paused once he was in front of it. 

Jian Yi pouted and faced away, “It's not as though I asked for any of this”. 

He was well aware what he did would normally keep people up at night and it would not be wrong to say that usually one would lose their appetite after witnessing what he did. 

He had not noticed his stopped companion and continued on walking for a few steps before turning around, raising a brow in question. 

“Well, I thought you were hungry?” He Tian jerked his thumb in the direction of the restaurant, as if him standing in front of it was not enough of a hint. 

Jian Yi shrugged and let his bodyguard hold the door open for him. 

The restaurant was fairly small, and there appeared to only be one waiter on duty. It had an open kitchen and a long wooden bar with simple stools set up in front. Many of the stools were already filled, so the pair sat themselves at a table across from the bar instead. 

He Tian took notice of the calm atmosphere of the restaurant, it was pretty quiet save for the sizzling of the food and the one other group sitting at the table nearest the doors. The people sitting at the bars must have come on their own seeing as there was at least one open seat in between each of them. It was still early morning so the rush had yet to begin, he suspected this small space would start to fill up in a few hours. There also appeared to only be one cook behind the counter, it may be a small restaurant but he wondered if another one joined him when it got busy. 

The cook was actually quite eye catching, he was wearing a plain yellow t-shirt and had unusual red colored hair, his back was turned but if he had to guess his age he would say early 20s. He wondered how such a young man got himself his own restaurant.

As he gazed at the enticing cook a waiter finally walked up to their table, “Hello, welcome to The Mountain Fox . Here is your menu” 

The waiter was a young man with spiky dirty blond hair and blue-grey eyes, he was probably the same height as Jian Yi. He had his sleeves rolled up to his elbow and the crisp white dress shirt fit snugly across his chest, suggesting a muscular build, but not as bulked up as the bodyguard. 

“Thank you” He Tian politely replied. He glanced over at his unusually silent companion, his brows raised at the sight of Jian Yi staring slack jawed at the oblivious waiter. 

After placing the menus and glasses of water on the table the waiter turned and left. 

“...”

“Jian Yi?”

“Did you see him?”

“Who, the waiter? Yes I did, he is our waiter”

Jian Yi turned to He Tian, eyes wide and sparkling like a child who just got two king sized candies for halloween. 

“He is?!” 

He Tian rolled his eyes,“Yes, now what do you want to order?” he pushed Jian Yi’s menu closer to him and opened his own, “the sooner you do the sooner he can return to our table” he encouraged, amused with his companion’s obvious attraction to the admittedly handsome waiter. 

Jian Yi snatched up the menu and He Tian returned to his own. Once he decided on his order he placed the menu on the table and found his eyes drawn back to the cook who was currently talking to their waiter. 

Their eyes met for a moment and He Tian flashed him a radiant smile but was met with a displeased frown before the cook turned his gaze away.

Jian Yi had looked up just in time to watch the exchange. He smirked in amusement, He Tian was used to people liking him immediately, that smile he just gave was notorious for charming girls and guys alike. He hoped they would frequent this place in the future. 

The waiter finally returned, pulling out a small notepad and pen from his waist apron, “Hi, are you ready to order?” 

Jian Yi opted to hide behind his menu for the time being so He Tian decided to place his order, “Yes, I’ll take an extra spicy beef stew” 

“Anything to drink?”

“No, I am fine with water”

The waiter looked over at the platinum blond expectedly, if he noticed the blushing, although it would be hard not to, he didn’t let it show. 

“Uhhh, the same” Jian Yi squeaked, jumping a little in his seat. 

“Water is fine?”

“Yes”

The waiter scribbled on his little notepad and made his way back to the counter. He didn’t make any move to give the order to the cook, they were sitting close enough that the redhead heard the order and started cooking as soon as the request left the customer’s mouth. 

“Really?”

“What?”

“You want to eat extra-spicy beef stew?” He Tian inquired, Jian Yi usually orders mild, spicy food makes his nose run. 

“Shut up, I couldn’t think straight”

“No kidding” He Tian smirked suggestively. 

Jian Yi scoffed and attempted to change the subject, “Oh yeah, I saw the guy behind the counter reject your signature winning smile” 

“He didn’t reject it, he probably couldn’t see it clearly” 

“We are, like, five feet away from him, he can probably hear us talking about him now”

They both whipped their head around at the same time when they realized Jian Yi was most likely correct in his assumption. 

The waiter was sat at a stool and turned his head slightly, side eyeing the two in casual acknowledgement before resuming scrolling through his phone. The cook resolutely kept his back turned to the whole ordeal, instead concentrating on driving his knife through the vegetables. Aggressively. 

“Oh shit” the two customers muttered. 

They sat in awkward silence until the waiter came around with their orders.

“Two extra-spicy beef stews” the waiter set two large bowls down in front of the suited men who both said their thanks in a subdued manner. 

He Tian felt his mouth water at the enticing smell of the steaming stew and brought a spoonful to his mouth. 

“Whoa!” He Tian considers himself pretty good at handling spicy food, but this was really spicy, but so delicious. He was about to go in for another bite when his attention suddenly shifted to Jian Yi red faced and desperately chugging water in front of him. 

“Hey, are you okay?” He Tian asked with concern, if this was spicy for himself, he didn’t know how Jian Yi had survived the first bite.   
“M’fine” Jian Yi choked out, tears pooling in the corners of his eyes. Needless to say, he was not fine.

As if on cue the waiter returned holding another large bowl of beef stew.

“Here, it seems like that one might be too spicy”, he replaced the bowl in front of Jian Yi, “it’s on the house” 

“What! No it’s fine, it tastes great!” Jian Yi exclaimed, embarrassment further reddening his cheeks as he tried to wipe away tears and snot.

He smiled slightly, “I’m sure it does, but it’s even better when you can taste it” 

Jian Yi chuckled nervously, “Haha, probably” 

Before the waiter could leave He Tian spoke up, “Hey, do you think I could get that one to go, I would hate to see such good food go to waste” 

“Of course, I will go pack it up” 

After the waiter left Jian Yi buried his face in his hands, “That was so embarrassing, kill me”

“You know I can’t, my job is to keep you alive if you’ve forgotten” 

Jian Yi was about to retaliate when a phone began to ring. He Tian pulled out his phone and frowned at the screen before excusing himself to take the call outside.  
Jian Yi didn’t even have to ask who it was to know his father was the one who called. 

He took a bite of the new stew and was happy to find that it really did taste better when he wasn’t dying from the spice. 

He Tian sat back down with a sigh, “We have to head back after this”

Jian Yi didn’t reply and took another bite of his stew, He Tian glanced at him one last time before working on his stew as well. 

The atmosphere got noticeably heavier; neither one necessarily disliked their job, but their boss was a different matter. Jian Yi’s father was known to be demanding and cruel, and he made sure that Jian Yi had become desensitized from a much too early age. And he hates him for it. Despite this the mafia business is his future, and he couldn't imagine belonging anywhere else. 

They finished their meal and the handsome waiter came back with their check and the packed up stew. Jian Yi insisted to pay the bill, it’s not like it was really his money anyways. He Tian asked the waiter to send his regards to the cook for the delicious meal, saying this just loud enough for him to know the redhead to heared him say it as well. 

They left quickly after that, Jian Yi had not said another word to the blue eyed waiter, his mood too dampened to do so.  
He Tian considered lightening the mood by calling him out on it, but decided against it. They would have to get back to work soon-or more like Jian Yi would, He Tian is always on duty.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Torture scene but its not too bad I don't think.

They arrived at the base, the place was almost set up like an average office, if you ignored the excessive amount of dangerous looking armed men posted at nearly every corner. They all greeted Jian Yi as he passed despite always being ignored. It is not as though they were doing this for Jian Yi, they feared his father far more than they felt anything about being treated like lifeless statues by his moody son.

They finally arrived outside Mr. Jian’s room, the two body guards at the door stepped aside at their arrival. He Tian opened the door for Jian Yi and let him enter first, and followed him inside before letting the door fall shut behind them. 

The room was large and well furnished with a long cherrywood desk set behind two couches and a low table. The walls on either side of the room were lined with bookshelves and various knick-knacks tastefully arranged within them alongside the books. 

Mr. Jian himself sat in a high-backed leather chair behind the desk, his black two piece suit pressed to perfection so not a wrinkle would dare disturb his image. His hair, a very similar color to his son though mixed in with a few whites, was kept short and slicked back from his clean shaven face. 

“I hope you enjoyed your little break” Mr. Jian commented as he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms.

Jian Yi plopped down on one of the sofas in front of the desk, carelessly kicking his feet up onto the coffee table.

He Tian kept a stoic expression as he remained stood by the door, his hands clasped obediently behind his back. 

“It was short and sweet” Jian Yi replied nonchalantly, resting one arm over the back of his seat while scrolling through his phone with disinterest.   
“Get your feet off the table and put that phone down” Mr. Jian demands, a frown on his face.

“...”

When Jian Yi made no move to do as he was told his father sighed, he honestly would have been more surprised if his son had actually listened for once.   
“Jian Yi” he growled in warning.

That seemed to get his attention and Jian Yi set his phone down and noisily dropped his feet to the ground with a dramatic huff.

Jian Yi still refused to turn his head to face his father, but Mr. Jian did not have the patience to tell him to do so.

“We caught another one last night, hopefully he will be more useful than the last one” Mr. Jian reported with a sly knowing grin.   
“Is that all?” Jian Yi muttered.

“Behave yourself Jian Yi, don't forget who your father is” Mr. Jian warned, narrowing his eyes at his son. To anyone else his tone of voice and warning look would cause them to wet their pants, even He Tian took care to stand up a little straighter, but Jian Yi merely shrugged in disinterest.

“Is that all Sir?” Jian Yi sneered, rising to his feet as he did, “Then I will be taking my leave” he began walking out before his father could reply.

He Tian waited until Jian Yi made it to the door before opening it and following him out without looking back at the, most likely seething, mafia boss. Luckily his responsibility is to Jian Yi rather than to his father, so he had no real reason to exchange any words with him at the moment. The only time they ever spoke was when he was first recruited at the recommendation of his own older brother. He came in while he was still young and was trained vigorously to make him who is today. Along the way he got to know the son of the mafia boss, who he was delighted to see was his own age and became fast friends due to being unable to meet anyone else even close to their age. 

He Tian’s older brother works closely with Mr. Jian and is often sent out on missions or is traveling abroad for whatever reason he was given. The two rarely see each other, although at this point He Tian could care less. 

“I don't know how you manage to get away talking to him like that” He Tian commented. 

“Well, it's not as though he can do anything about it” he replied bitterly.

It was true, Jian Yi is supposed to be the heir, so Mr. Jian had little choice but to tolerate his disobedient son to some degree. Not to mention the fact that, despite his attitude, Jian Yi gets his work done.

Speaking of work, Jian Yi and He Tian leisurely made their way to the basement of the building where Jian Yi spent more time than he cared to keep track of.   
“You can have a break if you want, I know you just ate” Jian Yi suggested to his bodyguard and only real friend. He tends to prefer it when he stays even though they don’t tend to talk much while Jian Yi is working. He likes the company of a trust one at his side, a kind of company that is very hard to come by for the blond.   
He Tian thought about it for a moment, it would be a shame if that delicious stew he just ate went to waste, but it’s not as though he could not handle it. Most of the time.

“I think I will be taking you up on that offer” He Tian conceded, Jian Yi seemed to be in a bad mood and he still had the leftover beef stew to take care of. The safer option for him would be to leave Jian Yi alone with his unfortunate victim. 

The blond shrugged and shuffled down the hall, raising a hand in a half wave, “Alright then, see you later” he called, then shoved his hands into his pockets as he made his way to the room. 

There were another two bodyguards standing guard outside the room, as Jian Yi neared one of the guards pulled open the steel door for him while the other had put out his arm for Jian Yi’s suit jacket.

Jian Yi walked into the room while rolling up his shirt sleeves and the guard shut the door behind him.

The captive was tied and gagged in a chair, his head down and his dark hair slightly damp with sweat. Jian Yi grinned, oh this was going to be fun.

The man lifted his head as Jian Yi neared, his gaze cold boring into Jian Yi’s own. 

“Well now, who do we have here?” Jian Yi grinned, lifting the man’s head by his chin.

The man muttered something but the cloth shoved into his mouth made it indecipherable. 

“Oops” Jian Yi untied the gag, “this thing doesn't help us right now” he chuckled.

“Might as well have left it, I have nothing to give you” the man snapped. 

“That's what they all say” Jian Yi walked around behind his chair where his tools were laid out. He really didn't care to leave them in the view of his victim, let them fear what they don't know. 

“Alright buddy, how are we doing this?” he selected a small needle to start with and moved to stand in front of his new victim, “Personally, I don't mind if you want to keep your mouth shut for a bit, we’ve got plenty of time together” 

Jian Yi pushed the needle below the nail of the prisoner’s middle finger, slowly moving up the underside of the nail. The prisoner squirmed and tensed, refusing to voice his discomfort, for now. 

“So tell me...what is your boss planning?” Jian Yi inquired as though he were asking a friend how his day went. 

“Dammit, I said there is nothing” he squirmed at the feeling of the needle painfully separating his nail from skin. 

“That doesn't help us, but we’ve only just begun right?” he commented cheerfully. He pulled the needle out and walked around to his tools to select something else.  
“What the fuck is wrong with you? We have not made a move in-aaargh" he yelled in pain as Jian Yi broke his right pinky finger at the knuckle. 

“What’s wrong, I bet you don't use this finger that often anyways” He chides, “See, I'm being nice” 

“How the hell is this ‘nice’? I bet a sick monster like you enjoys doing things like this!” the prisoner spat harshly.

“What kind of monster would enjoy something like this?” he mumbled thoughtfully, seemingly to himself, but the slight upturn of the corners of his mouth gave him away. 

If someone had accused him of enjoying torturing people a couple years ago when his father first assigned him this duty after refusing to work with his thugs on the streets, he would have been livid. But after doing this for so long he had become numb to it, and more recently he found himself having a little fun watching these supposedly strong and prideful men crumble under the knife. Their screams that once haunted him in his nightmares, now made him smile with satisfaction at his work. 

“You’re a psycho, your group has been attacking ours for no reason!” the prisoner yelled, clenching the fist without the broken finger. 

“Damn, you sure do talk a lot, but you still refuse to answer my question” Jian Yi said, his irritation growing at the accusations. 

Jian Yi reached for the small dagger on the tray, and without warning brought it down on the man’s left hand, pinning it to the chair handle. 

“Aaaagh” 

“Ok, just tell me what's going on with your boss and maybe I will spare your other hand” 

“You fucking freak, I told you our group has been minding our own business, it's you guys that are causing the trouble” 

Jian Yi connected his fist with the guy's face, breaking his nose. 

“You know, I'm not a huge fan of using my hands, but you are really starting to piss me off” he growled. Usually the prisoners would deny knowing anything about what's happening, but this guy was denying anything happening at all. His father hasn't given him too much information about the trouble they were looking into and it was starting to seem like this guy was telling him the truth. 

He grabbed the thick heavy duty clippers and kneeled in front of the chair, he would figure out for sure what was going on. 

“Fuck! I'm telling you the truth!” he insisted. 

He started clipping off his toes, starting with the second toe. Jian Yi smiled with satisfaction at the resulting scream. 

“You...you don't even know w-what's going on, y-you're just fucking me up..be-because your sick ass likes it” he hissed, trying to speak through the pain.  
“Maybe I should ask again. What is your boss planning?” Jian Yi demanded, a finger on the butt of the dagger, gently tipping it back and forth.

“...”

Jian Yi removed the dagger from his hand and violently drove it through his other, not reacting at all to his screams of agony. 

After that it appeared the man had nothing left to say and used his voice up screaming at the various tortures Jian Yi put him through. But Jian Yi’s frustrations grew, this guy was more useless than the last, and now his clean white shirt is blood stained and essentially ruined. He couldn’t believe they had to leave that restaurant for this.

The prisoner finally passed out, he had lost a lot of blood but since Jian Yi did not know if they needed him left alive he made sure he did not do enough damage to kill him. He would surely survive but maintaining his mental state was none of his responsibility.

He walked over to the corner of the room to a large metal sink to wash his hands, he pulled off his shirt first and left it in a heap beside the sink, someone will clean it up. He cleaned any blood off his skin that soaked through the shirt, there were no towels so he just left the room with a wet torso, droplets of water streaking down his chest and stomach starting to dampen the waistband of his pants.

When he left the room he was handed his jacket, he debated putting it back on, but decided to just hold it in his hand while he went to find his black haired friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave comments and kudos of what you think! Particularly what you thought about Jian Yi here?


	3. Chapter 3: kinda filler-y

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter feels like filler to me, also its very short, but it gives a little more background on Mo and Zhan so that's exciting...find me on tumblr (same username)!!

The restaurant’s crowd was finally picking up around lunch time and the small room began to fill up. The waiters were flitting back and forth between tables and the counter, and the cook was skillfully preparing multiple meals at the same time behind the counter, much to the patrons’ amazement.

They had considered hiring another cook, but thought the shop was so small that it couldn’t possibly be that much work. But the small restaurant had grown in popularity over the short year that it has been open, but the cook was determined to continue preparing the dishes on his own.

“Guan Shan! Can we get two orange chicken and a beef stew, mild!” 

“Coming up!”

Beef stew actually takes quite a while to prepare, but he always makes sure to have enough of the beef stew base and meat ready by the beginning of the day so he can finish preparing it right before he serves it.

Very few people request his beef stew extra spicy, but the guy that came in that morning ate it with no problems, and even took some home. Most people react like the guy that was sitting with him. 

He finished up the orders and placed them on the counter to be picked up by the waiters.

“Zheng Xi, two orange and a stew!”

The waiter came up and dispersed the meals to the patrons, he by far worked the most shifts here out of any of the other waiters, though that is mostly because he is friends with the cook who runs the restaurant. 

They quickly became lost in their work and only when the crowd slowed down again did they sit down for a quick break while the restaurant empties itself of customers. The other waiters left after their shift and once again the only ones that were in the shop were Mo Guan Shan and Zhan Zheng Xi. 

They had met by chance in college, although Mo Guan Shan ended up not completing his degree and dropped out and used his savings to open this restaurant. Zhan Zheng Xi offered to help him out and has worked here during his free time while he continued his own studies.

Guan Shan set out a bowl of noodles and a sandwich for the two to eat for lunch. It surprised Zheng Xi that his friend chose to eat seemingly simple sandwiches most of the time rather than any of his other, in his opinion, better dishes. Though he made his sandwiches out of leftover meat and vegetables from the other dishes he prepared, it seemed so lackluster.

But Zhan Zheng Xi had learned that his friend just enjoyed sandwiches, though he could make some of the tastiest dishes he has ever eaten, he would rather just slap some meat in between two slices of bread for himself and call it a day. 

Zheng Xi pulled the bowl closer and marveled at how delicious and fresh the meal looked, “Hey, do you remember those two guys that came in this morning?” Zheng Xi inquired while pulling apart his disposable bamboo chopsticks, noting how his stomach was growling at the sight of the food.

“The ones in the suits?” Mo Guan Shan took a seat adjacent to dark blond at the counter, picking up his sandwich.

“Yeah them. The black haired guy seemed like he was into you” 

“What the fuck!”, he dropped his sandwich back into his plate in favor of gaping at his friend who was casually chewing his food, “Oh yeah, that blond was so busy staring at you that he didn’t even give his order right!” he countered.

“Really? I thought he was just stupid” he mused, a slight blush now showing itself. He had never seen either one of them before, he could recognize the familiar faces of the people that frequented the restaurant, especially in the morning when very few people came by. 

He was amused at the reaction that the blond had when he tried the stew, he clearly could not handle it, but was surprised when the black haired man was able to palate the spicy meal so easily. He had to admit though, the blond was actually really good looking, his light hair that looked feather soft and his smooth pale skin, not to mention the black suit made his pale features stand out even more. 

“Well, there is that” Guan Shan admitted with amusement.

“They were talking about you too” he added a small smile playing on his lips as he recalled their faces when he acknowledged that he could hear their every word, not that they appeared to be trying to hide it. 

The redhead blushed, he had refused to to look at the disruptive customers when he realized they were talking about him. The black haired man seemed like he was some kind of vain playboy, honestly he did not think he would want anything to do with him. The both of them appeared to be very wealthy and were likely popular with the girls, needless to say they looked really out of place in his tiny little restaurant in their, probably designer, fitted suits. 

“Shut up and finish eating before we start getting customers again” he said instead of commenting further on their earlier encounter with the mysterious suited men.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave comments and kudos if you like :) I reply to all comments!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long between updates but I've hit a bit of a writer's block, hopefully I can churn out some more chapters sooner rather than later though!

Jian Yi found He Tian in his room, it’s simple and mostly empty. His bed had a simple low bed frame and the sheets are navy blue and unmade and there is a dark desk pushed against the wall with a laptop on it. The rest of his things hidden away in the dresser and his books stacked neatly in a bookshelf.  
Every room in the building came with a decently sized kitchen decked out with top of the line appliances, but neither He Tian nor Jian Yi ever really made use of their kitchen.  
Jian Yi always thought this room was the most depressing one in the whole building, but it somehow suited the private body guard. Jian Yi’s room is conveniently situated right next door and is set up pretty much the same except his room tends to be messy and keeps miscellaneous items around his room to make it look more lived in such as a basketball he used to play with when he was younger and an old video game console he occasionally starts up when he has nothing better to do. He also keeps more furniture in there since both he and He Tian spend more time in there than they do in the body guard’s room.  
His empty take out container sat next to his laptop where he was going through the information on the apparent enemy activity that they were supposed to be investigating. The other mafia group is not as big and established as Mr. Jian’s, but they have been picking up in number of members lately. But the thing is, so far in his research it appears the only other notable thing going on within the group is the fact that various members have been disappearing and then turning up either dead or tortured and beaten until they are barely sane.  
The latest located victim he recognized as the last guy Jian Yi had dealt with, a large tough looking man who you would not expect to piss his pants over a simple questioning, but people are full of surprises. Turns out he was not as high up as his looks suggested; he had turned up dead near their base where Mr. Jian must have ordered his body to be dumped so the other group could easily find him.  
It was all so superfluous; why would Mr. Jian want to make such bold moves when, so far, nothing has turned up to warrant their investigations. It made He Tian’s skin crawl, Mr. Jian must be hiding something from them. He knew that Jian Yi had no idea what was really going on either, if he knew then He Tian would know too.  
He had only gotten that far in his investigations when Jian Yi suddenly barged in, carrying his suit jacket on his arm.  
“So how did it go?” He Tian leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms across his chest casually.  
Jian Yi threw his jacket at He Tian’s eternally smug face and collapsed face first on the bed.  
“Mrmphmrphm”  
“I can’t hear you y’know” he chuckled as he pulled the jacket off his face and threw it on his bed besides the fallen blond.  
Jian Yi rolled over on his back languidly and glared at the plain ceiling as if it had all the hidden answers to his questions.  
“I think it was worse than the last one” he complained, “I tried to leave him alive just in case, but I was very tempted to end him right there”  
“Hmm” He Tian hummed in acknowledgment.  
He swiveled his chair back around to face his desk and picked up his take out container to dispose of it in his empty kitchen.  
He plopped down next to the body on his bed after pulling a water bottle out of the fridge.  
“I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be looking for” Jian Yi groaned, running his hands down his face in frustration.  
The black haired body guard opened the water bottle and took a sip before offering it to his friend.  
Jian Yi sat up and grabbed the bottle and took three large gulps until their was only a quarter of the bottle left before handing it back.  
“I tried doing some research but I came up empty as well” He Tian commented with a sigh, finishing the bottle of water and placing it on the bedside table.  
“I even lost a nice clean shirt for this bullshit” he groaned, “What do we do now?”  
“Tell your father I suppose….” he mumbled, his voice trailing with uncertainty. There was something off about this situation, but for now they were better off just going with it.  
He Tian looked over at Jian Yi, he had his head bowed, resting his forehead on the back of his clasped hands, his elbows resting on his knees.  
Those that first meet him often have the impression that he is nothing but a happy go lucky young man, too sheltered for this life. They murmur in confusion and pass snide comments when they hear that he is the great Jian’s son and will one day inherit and lead the mafia group. Most of them don’t know what he is capable of, not only his ability to lead and demand respect of his followers but his cruelty and coldness to those he considers to be on the other side of the playing field.  
He Tian got up to grab his laptop and opened the article he was looking at that had to do with the last victim.  
“Hey, look at this” he pushed the laptop in front of the blond who lifted his head, letting the black haired man place the laptop with the open article on his lap.  
He scrolled through the page, frowning at the details of the man’s death and the fact that he was carelessly left in the alley behind their base where he could easily be spotted.  
“They found leaning against a wall, covered in bruises and knife wounds….and suffered from head trauma?” Jian Yi wondered out loud. He had left this guy alive to bleed out once he was done with him, but he has never used head trauma on his subjects.  
“Yes, I was curious about that too, it’s as though they meant for him look like he was attacked”  
“Why would they want to do that?” Jian Yi muttered, why would his father want to cover up that he was captured and tortured.  
Jian Yi closed the computer and handed it back to He Tian.  
“I don’t even know how they managed to pull that off, it looks like they believed the set-up”, He Tian said as he placed the computer back on his desk.  
Jian Yi laid himself back on the bed, throwing an arm over his eyes, a noticeable frown on his face. He had been suspecting his father has been up to something lately, the amount of people he has been bringing in for “questioning” in such a short period of time made him think the other group was up to something big. If that was true there would be no way neither Jian Yi or He Tian would not have heard. His suspicions further confirmed when He Tian showed him all of this.  
Before he starts drawing any solid theories on this he decided to confront his father first...first thing tomorrow.  
“Anyways isn't it lunch time now?”  
“It's well past, actually”  
Jian Yi paused for a moment, once again his entire day felt wasted away. He often loses track of time while doing his job and his mood tends to dip afterwards. He was sure, though, that a visit to quant little restaurant would turn his mood around.  
Jian Yi stood up, “I want to go eat” he picked up his jacket and started walking to the door.  
He Tian grinned, “same place”, it wasn't a question.  
“Change out of that stuffy suit” Jian Yi called out as he closed the bedroom door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments if you liked it! I reply to all comments, thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> comment and leave kudos if you like it! Also it took me ages to figure out what to call Mo's restaurant, i had it as Mountain Fresh Air Febreeze as a place holder until just before I decided to post it smh. I'm also on tumblr!


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